Sorry, Dad... it won't be a Lincoln...

After 7 months of chasing down rides, we are ready for a bit more freedom and a better standard of living. And Emily is ready to brave the streets. (Jordan served good practice!)

We went car shopping with a friend from work who knows the places and the prices. Driving around a bit, we stopped at several car shops in our neighborhood, speaking to the salesmen with varying levels of success- mostly depending on their English.

We think we found a goodie- Its a 1999 'something Korean', a love-it-or-hate-it shade of gold. We've decided to love it. Its a bit bigger than many of the small, roller skate cars on the lots.
Neither of us have ever owned a car, making it a little difficult. But that certainly didn't slow us down! We listened to engines purr, diagnosing potential problems. Just like the best of them!
Our head of maintenance will now go check it out, see if it's a good buy. If yes, the paperwork should go through in the next few days- hopefully giving us a car by the end of the week!

Homespun fun

We continue to enjoy Khartoum. Today, for instance, we had a party. We used contact paper, magazines, photographs, and dental floss to make wallets.

This ain't Brooklyn. For sure.

Riding to work on a Thursday

It has been a really, really long week. A hard week. And we're all feeling a bit battered and beaten. So what did a mini car, packed with five teachers, need to cheer their moods? How about a few words of inspiration, splashed across the rear window of the van ahead?
If not inspiring, they certainly posed a question to us all- would we say that we love it?

Used book sale!

The KAS Library teamed up with my Middle School Student Council to sponsor a Used Book Sale. We got a surprising number of donations (considering the severely limited access here). Above you can see my kids at work during lunch. I spent 6 dollars (12 SDG) and came home with 6 new reads! Again, considering the limited options for books, it was a real bargain! And a lot of fun to see kids so excited to shop for books!

In the news

Without resorting to Morse code...
(this is something you all might have to research on your own-)
Look for Sudan in the news in the coming week. Or even now.
Things are happening here (and in the Netherlands) that are making our lives a bit more interesting.

There is a reality show that has a 'reveal day' or something like it? I don't know.
But we're facing our own 'reveal day' here in Khartoum.

If you aren't so 'up to speed' on your International news,
I would encourage you to take this time to read up.

We're safe. We're working. We're still hitting the embassy happy hours...
All is calm.

Love.

Red Cross/Red Crescent

Here at KAS, our options for field trips are limited. We have a bus driver and a great little bus, but not so many places to go.
This spring, we have been trying to focus on service in the middle school. An email out to parents produced several connections and possibilities, as many of our parents are here with NGOs. Who would work with the kids on a project, or let them come run around their workplace? hmmm.... sounds like so much fun!
A HIT! The father of two of my students is the head of logistics for the International Red Cross here in Sudan. Wow!
He invited two of our classes out to the warehouse- the 'beating heart' of the organization, as he calls it. And what an awesome day!

He took us through the warehouses- explaining to the kids their job in Sudan. He explained the neutrality of the Red Cross as the parent of kids that are fighting. You still love both of your children, right? And they got it.
What food is most important to give someone without any? He did a GREAT job of explaining things to the kids and bringing them in on the discussion. Really cool, and difficult to do, without explaining the whole Darfur conflict. (What adult even understands that?)
We also got to climb into Red Cross trucks and drive around their compound, spelling our names into the CB radio with the NATO Phonetic Alphabet. What could be more fun for a 11 year old!?
"This is Romeo, Alpha, Charlie, Hotel, Echo, Lima. OVER."

For lunch, they prepared refugee rations for the kids. Eye-opening! It was Sudanese style, with asida with mulak (?)- boiled and beaten sorghum with some sauce and lentils. Eating with your hands, as per local tradition.For the Sudanese kids, it was similar to what they've had before. The other kids had a tougher time chokin' it down, but they were all good sports.
What a day! Their eyes were certainly opened, and it has surely sparked many more conversations to come. And the teachers even walked away with free desktop 'ICRC Sudan' desktop calenders! Oh, we get so many perks! The real perk was the chance to see the inner-workings of the ICRC in Sudan- what an opportunity!

Field Trip!

I do miss our Brooklyn field trips- "Ok, kids- we're going to the park again!"

But its also really exciting to be here! Tomorrow we are taking the 6th and 7th graders to the headquarters of the Red Cross.

In Sudan, that's a pretty big deal! (Thank you, parents of students in high places!)

Photos to follow, insha'allah.

Tix in hand!

We've purchased our tickets for our March Spring break. With the help of our $500 Kenya Airways voucher, we're going to Zanzibar!

We are going to spend March 20-28 on a beautiful, idyllic island. The place is packed with history- spice plantations, tasty curries and the historical remnants of the slave trade. Just the kind of vacation we need!

The Nightingales!

We had been hearing rumors of Valentine's Day concert. (Well- not really a Valentine's concert. Maybe you've seen the news out of Khartoum, where the Sudanese clerics denounced Valentine's Day?)
We really didn't know what we were getting ourselves into. A friend got the tickets for us- US$10. We just knew to show up at "The Officers' Club" at 8pm. And so we did!
We were there to see Al Balabil (The Nightingales)- three ladies with a long, successful career as performers in Sudan and other parts of Africa. It seems they were known as "the Supremes of Sudan" in the 1970s! Read all about them HERE. Very awesome! This was the first time we'd seen live music in months! (Options are very limited here due to the Shar'ia law.) And it was great! People were snapping, singing along, and even dancing a bit! The crowd definitely seemed to know the words!
A super-exciting evening out in the great city of Khartoum!

In doing my internet research to learn about these ladies, I also found that there is an annual Sudanese Music and Dance Festival in the United States every summer! This year's location is still to be determined- but I may be seeing these girls again in July! :)

Some lovely ladies

Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch

These nice boys sell sugar cane on the side of the road.
I snapped this while passing in the a bus. Unfortunately, the one seated saw me and was pretty unhappy about me taking a picture. Luckily, the bus was moving... and I was soon in the clear!
(If you can look closely, its not a happy face he's wearing!)

Wedding bells.

We arrived home to see the front of our house lined with plastic chairs, men in jalibaya, and trash on the ground. The wedding was on! We rested for a bit before making an appearance at the wedding party of the neighbors.

the view from our roof- live brass band and dancing!The tent in the lot facing our building

Four in the afternoon, and it seemed the party was over! We clarified. No, it wasn't the 'wedding party'- it was the 'signing of the wedding contract'! The bride was there- not dressed in white. The groom was in Saudi, waiting to file the paperwork for her to join him. The papers were all signed without him there. Perfectly legal. And just for fun, it seemed they had a female relative dress up in a suit as his 'proxy'.Em dancing with the henna'd proxy

We snuck out after a while, as the party really had ended. We were allowed to leave on the condition that we would return later for the dance party. (Not hard to hear the music from next door!)
And so we did.

And then off to EAT the camel...

We were then off to find a restaurant that would prepare us some camel. (I use the term 'restaurant' loosely.) We found ourselves in a large market. Auto parts, butchers, and 'restaurants where women would cook any meat that you brought to them from the butchers.We found a nice place with colorful tarps and happy-sounding music. We found ourselves sitting on rope-strung beds, with plastic stools as the tables. (This was the nice place!) We ordered some coffee and tea, very thankful to be out of the sun.
At 1:00, the music turned off. The masses of men in white jalibayas walked in one direction, skull caps on. Of course, it was time for Friday afternoon prayers- meaning, since they didn't get our food prepared in the 90 minutes we had been waiting, we now had to wait another hour. It is illegal for them to prepare food during prayer. (Not all prayers, everyday. Only Friday afternoon, when all are expected to attend prayer at the mosque.)

So we waited.Finally, at 2:00, they threw the camel and goat chunks into the large trays over the coals. We were soon served! Goat, camel, salads and bread. As it goes in Sudan, between 20 people, we had two large trays of food. We all used the bread to eat, as we weren't given and utensils.
Pleasantly surprised by both the goat and the camel. (Perhaps even more surprised that I didn't get sick afterwards!)

Omdurman Camel Market!

A friend organized an outing- the Camel Market! We arranged a private-hire bus to take us all to the market. After off-roading for a while, crossing paved roads, we asked why. It seems the paved road also went to the camel road, but it was new, and the driver didn't know that way! So, through the dirt we traveled.We swizzled between herds of cows and goats and camel. Finally, beside one pack of camels, we stopped. It seems this was the camel market! Open desert where herders bring their animals. Nothing fancy. Just wide-open spaces that left us asking, where's the water for these guys?
For a few pounds they let us wander around the camels and take some pictures.
Nothing like any of us expected. Also pretty fascinating.

A friend has a word for this...

she calls it the "National Flower of Sudan". Plastic Bags! It sure ain't pretty. And looking at a photo like this makes you understand why Rwanda, in efforts to put their country back together, has outlawed the use of them.

Traffic

This guy was in our way the other day. Fairly typical. And annoying, should you be trying to get somewhere fast!

I do feel really sorry for the animals here. I guess, a donkey's life anywhere would be bad. But in this heat, with so much sun and so little water... I can't even imagine!
I feel equally sorry for the cats and packs of street dogs, digging through whatever garbage they can find. (Though there certainly is no shortage in the streets!)

Brushing my hair

Grooming has recently become a bit more complicated. Toab, always hungry for wet hair to chew on, often insists on being carried around as we get ready. Usually, calm. Unless I try to brush my hair. And then it's really fun!

Bash

Emily's birthday is coming up this week. To celebrate, we planned a 'not-really-a-surprise-but-emily-isn't-going-to-know-all-the-details' party on our roof.

The bar, the buffet, the music, the sheeshas- it all came together with the help of friends. It was a rockin' good time. And a great early birthday for Emily! (as you can see below, she got to dance a bit!)I got to introduce my new sheesha at the party. (See left) I bought it off of a friend- a sweet, Saudi sheesha. for forty SDG! That's 20 dollars! Now, every party we have on our roof- I can bring it out. AND- when I leave this place, I can most definitely sell it on. Bargain!

Celebration!

WE FOUND DR. PEPPER AT A LOCAL GROCERY STORE!!!
say what!?!?

Wow.

We have been meaning to get our cat neutered for many reasons. Number one being that its said to improve cat behavior. And maybe, just maybe, Toab needs a little help in that department.

Finally, we called a vet. And the vet said to come tonight- Ok! Poor Toab, didn't even know it was coming. We called Mr. Yousef, the school-appointed taxi, and headed on our way.

Upon arrival, we realized that we were at the Police Dog training facility. After being ushered past a German Shepherd (mid-surgery), we awkwardly sat five feet away from the procedure, trying to relax our cat (who's attempting to force his way out of a backpack).

And the fun was just beginning! After the doctor finished with the dog, we were escorted through the grounds. We were soon walking between two rows of kennels, with dogs barking and going crazy. Um. Not just a few dogs. A hundred BIG dogs. (kennel #42 was particularly viscious!)
You guessed it, cat-in-a-backpack LOVED this!

This story could go on all night. But, let's just say that it didn't take one tranquilizer shot, but three to chill out poor Toab. And in the States, Emily couldn't re-create her role in the procedure without some kind of state license.

We watched the whole surgery. Of course, Emily was braver than I. I had to take breaks and freak out- which gave the doctors a bit of entertainment. I learned a lot tonight.

Its now been over an hour since we left the Police Dogs Hospital. Toab is still asleep in his box with his tongue hanging out. Reason for concern? We hope not.

They swear he'll be back to normal by tomorrow. He might, but I'm really not sure I will be!
What a night!

Sudan at a glance

Two men- one in the traditional 'jalibaya', which are very common in the city. A mosque in the distance. Walking alongside the road- clearly no sidewalk. This is a pretty typical street scene.

On the banks

This would be a car/cow ferry. The cow was later loaded into the back of a truck. I kept my distance, still a bit skittish after the bull-running in Addis.

Back on the Nile...

A dear friend organized our activity today- a trip to Tutti Island for a picnic! Tutti Island sits in the middle of the Nile- rather, where the two Niles meet. There is no bridge connecting it to the mainland, only small ferries. On the island is a small village and lots of farmland. And something resembling a white sand beach.
We took a ferry to cross. Not surprising, we each payed a different price. We all had our coins out. Emily and I payed 50 piastres for both of us. Other friends handed the man a 50 piastres piece, and received anywhere from 10 to 30 as change. Sudan, Sudan.
Arriving across the river, we negotiated a ride in a large open truck. There were twelve of us, and we fit perfectly. It was quite a pleasant ride through the village.
Of course, it seemed we had picked the hottest day in months to picnic in the sun. We ended up spreading our blankets under the only large tree. A great, relaxing place for a potluck picnic- except for the goats that kept sneaking towards us. Thankfully, our good friend Ashley gladly claimed the job of goat-chaser. (Not a position I have ever had to elect at any picnic before!)
A really great way to spend the afternoon- before it gets TOO hot and we can't!! (The temperatures are already rising every day!)

Another Inauguration

An additional celebration of January 20th- with our ballots freshly counted, we scooped up the opportunity to swear in our new Student Council representatives! Ha! What fun!
The superintendent administered the oath, which they were then all required to sign. It will soon be framed and hanging on my wall- hopefully in time for the first meeting! A little silly- but the kids loved it. (I even made them take their hats off for the oath- we're serious around here!)

OBAMA!

See, the inauguration happened in the evening for us here. So we got to celebrate with a proper party! Again, our good friend Chuck was a gracious host for the event.
It was an awesome mix of people- with friends from Britain, Germany, Somalia, Spain... working for schools, NGOs and embassies.

I think there are a lot of us, Americans all over the world, struggling to find the words to express this feeling. And perhaps we can't explain it because its foreign to us- looking at the capitol building and the flags and the whole display- seeing it as a symbol of hope and pride. To be crying a little bit, gushing joy.

Several times I looked over at British and German friends next to me. Should I be embarrassed? Is this the sort of thing that angers so many people around the world? The answer was a resounding NO. The world is crying with us. Cheering with us. Hoping with us.
That's the new feeling. And we all, at least in our little corner of the world, loved it.

Student Council

I am starting a middle school student council. Apparently, there used to be one years ago, and someone, at some point dropped the ball. But we are at it again! It has taken us a good chunk of the year to put it together, so we are only electing representatives for each class, 5-8, no executives. And we're announcing the winners tomorrow, on Inauguration Day!

The speeches, of course, were silly.
My favorite line:
"I'm only a telephone, but you are the speaker. I'm the voice. I get the message through."
Thank you, seventh grader that spent the past three years in Minnesota. (I recognize the cheesiness to be Midwestern in nature!)

and the silver spoon...

Toab knows not to climb on the table. But that doesn't stop him from doing it. This is how we found him yesterday. Completely his idea.

Nile Cruise

We celebrated our school's accreditation this evening with a Nile cruise. Three hours on the boat with a catered dinner, sheesha pipes, beverages, and our own playlists of music. Additionally, our colleagues finally returned this weekend with their new baby, Rowan. It was our first chance to see and play with the 6-week-old kid that will be hanging out at our school for the rest of the year.